ADHD and Shyness It has everything to do with how comfortable a person feels about themselves. Many adults with ADHD don't feel comfortable with themselves. They feel shame that they aren't where they thought they would be at this point in their lives.
Can ADHD cause shyness? Shyness is not an official ADHD symptom, but experiences and struggles due to the neurodivergent condition - or another existing mental health disorder - can cause a person to become shy, aloof, and introverted.
Sometimes, individuals with ADHD Inattentive Type will be mischaracterized as shy or withdrawn. But like the more familiar ADHD, this condition can be diagnosed and treated effectively.
Girls of the inattentive variety are often shy daydreamers. Their inattention in class may be overlooked because they try hard not to draw attention to themselves. Many quiet girls with ADHD seem to be listening to their teachers, while their minds are a thousand miles away.
A recent study of thousands of men and women found two of five adults with ADHD are in excellent physical health, but ADHD women were less likely to be thriving. This comports with research from earlier studies that show women have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality.
Interestingly, girls with untreated ADHD may be more likely to blame and judge themselves for these problems, leading to a higher risk for low self-esteem than boys who have ADHD. They may also be more likely to have problems with substance abuse, eating disorders, and anxiety.
Research is showing that the symptoms of ADHD often intensify for girls during puberty when estrogen increases in their bodies.
Female children with ADHD often try to join a group, talk a lot but can hardly understand how her peers feel about what they are doing. They have difficulty connecting socially with others and when frustration gets in, they become impulsive and resort to verbal aggressiveness.
Mood swings are common in people with ADHD. People with this disorder can be hypersensitive, too. That means sensations, like touch, that may feel normal to another person can feel too intense for someone with ADHD.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
Many adults with ADHD don't feel comfortable with themselves. They feel shame that they aren't where they thought they would be at this point in their lives. They are worried about potentially embarrassing themselves by saying or doing something impulsively or by breaking a social rule that they didn't know about.
Put simply; masking is intentionally shifting your behavior to hide your differences. For example, a woman with ADHD might smile and nod during a conversation even though she tuned out long ago, or she may secretly work late into the night to overcompensate for not staying on task for a deadline.
Some girls with ADHD display more of the classic signs of hyperactivity. If a girl is hyperactive, she might be described as a "tomboy" because she likes physical activity and doesn't seem to enjoy the same things as other girls her age.
ADHD and your relationship
ADHD may affect relationships because people with the mental health condition are more likely to: misplace items regularly. become bored during date night outings. have trouble focusing during a fight or when discussing your day.
They keep their things fairly organized and try to avoid making a mess. But many kids and adults with ADHD are the opposite — they're messy most of the time. And it can cause problems at home, school, and work. For example, kids might miss a field trip because the permission slip got lost in their overflowing backpack.
Females with ADHD tend to have more internalizing disorders alongside their ADHD that are not as disruptive in the classroom, like anxiety. When combined with symptom masking, this could mean that females are not as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as males.
“Opposites Attract”: People with ADHD are attracted to “organized” and joyless workers bees who can keep the trains running for the both of them and who in turn are drawn to their free-spirited ADHD partner's spontaneity and sense of fun.
The problem: The social maturity of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) may be a few years behind that of their peers. In addition, they have difficulty reading verbal and physical social cues, misinterpreting remarks, or not getting jokes or games.
Usually, the most difficult times for persons with ADHD are their years from middle school through the first few years after high school. Those are the years when students are faced with the widest range of tasks to do and the least opportunity to escape from the tasks that they struggle with or find to be boring.
Adults diagnosed with ADHD often blame themselves for their problems or view themselves in a negative light. This can lead to self-esteem issues, anxiety, or depression.
With girls, inattentive ADHD is the most common.